Charcoal adsorbent materials are well known in the art for removing individual components from gaseous or liquid mixtures. Charcoal adsorbent materials are used in many industrial applications for such separation purposes. Charcoal adsorbent materials are also used in protective gas mask devices in order to provide a safe source of uncontaminated air for breathing in a contaminated environment. In the field of protective gas masks, however, it has been difficult to determine under realistic test conditions how well various types of charcoal adsorbent materials protect against different types of contaminated or toxic gases.
More particularly, the testing of charcoal filter cartridges or canisters included in protective gas masks requires large quantities of test gases and extended analysis time in order to determine the performance of a particular sample charcoal adsorbent material. Additionally, chemical analysis performed on the effluent from the filter cartridges or canisters does not always detect the presence of toxic materials. Similarly, such chemical analysis may indicate the presence of a compound of unknown toxicity. Moreover, to be used effectively as a filter material in a protective gas mask, charcoal adsorbent materials must protect against highly irritating vapors, for example, vapors which irritate eyes, skin and respiratory systems. Chemical analysis of filter effluents may not detect the presence of such irritating materials or may indicate the presence of compounds whose highly irritating properties are not known. Thus, chemical analysis alone often provides an incorrect estimate of the performance and effectiveness of a charcoal adsorbent material for use in a protective gas mask. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for quickly and effectively evaluating the performance of various charcoal adsorbent materials.